McClain: Case Keenum passes on any controversy with Bill O’Brien

Case Keenum is in his first season as the Broncos’ quarterback after spending time with the Texans, Rams and Vikings.

Photo: Orlin Wagner, STF / Associated Press

Denver quarterback Case Keenum laughed Tuesday when informed sales of his book should be skyrocketing in Houston after the attention it was generating early in the week.

In his book, “Playing for More: Trust Beyond What You Can See,” Keenum wrote when he was placed on waivers in August 2014 after Ryan Mallett was acquired as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup, first-year coach Bill O’Brien told him he would never be more than a third-string quarterback in the NFL.

O’Brien said Monday he didn’t remember telling Keenum that, but he would order the book on Amazon and read it.

“That’s kind of funny,” Keenum said from Denver. “I didn’t put that in there to try to sell the book.

“There’s no hard feelings. I learned a lot of football from coach O’Brien. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Sometimes coaches do things to motivate you, and it motivated me to work harder.”

Keenum, who is preparing for Sunday’s game against the Texans, said nothing but good things about O’Brien and his two stints playing for the Texans in 2014.

In December of that season, the Texans lost Fitzpatrick and rookie Tom Savage in a game at Indianapolis. Mallett already was on injured reserve.

After consulting with O’Brien, former general manager Rick Smith called Keenum’s agent, Jeff Nalley, and told him the Texans wanted to sign him off the St. Louis Rams’ practice squad.

When Nalley got in touch with Keenum, he was deer hunting outside St. Louis. There were two games remaining against Baltimore and Jacksonville.

“It was a conversation I had with Jeff, Kimberly and my family to see if it was the right thing to do,” Keenum said. “Ultimately, to play for the Texans — the team that I wanted to win games for — was a no-brainer.”

Keenum led the Texans to victories over the Ravens and Jaguars to help them finish 9-7. In March 2015, Smith traded Keenum back to the Rams for a seventh-round pick in 2016.

“Coach O’Brien gave me a shot when I came back and was able to win those two games,” he said. “It (relationship with O’Brien) was great. I learned so much football from him. He’s really good at getting quarterbacks prepared and ready to play.”

On Sunday, Keenum will play against his former team for the first time.

“I owe a lot to the Texans,” he said. “I know a lot of guys there. It’s going to be good to see them.”

Asked about the Texans’ defense and what he expects to see from players like J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Kareem Jackson and Whitney Mercilus, Keenum laughed and said, “Is there a chance any of those guys will miss the plane?

“They’ve got a salty defense. A lot of them are the same cast of characters I know and love. We’re going to have to have a great plan to be successful against those guys. I know they’re going to bring the heat.”

The Texans and Broncos have been going in opposite directions. Denver started 2-1 and the Texans 0-3. The Broncos are 3-5 after losing at Kansas City. The Texans are 5-3 after beating Miami.

“We’re not where we want to be — our record shows that,” Keenum said. “We’ve played some good ball, but there’s no moral victories in the NFL. We haven’t made enough plays to win the right games.

“We’ve got all the pieces we want. I feel real comfortable about how things are progressing on offense. We just need to make some big plays at big moments and win some games. We’re trying to win one and then win another and try to go on a run.”

Keenum hopes his nomadic NFL existence has come to an end. An itinerary of Houston, St. Louis, Houston, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Denver has caused the Keenums to keep their bags packed.

“It’s been tough,” he said. “I think it’s been tougher on Kimberly. Unfortunately, we have a car-shipping guy and a moving company plugged into our phone, and we hope we never have to use them again.”

Keenum played the best season of his career at Minnesota in 2017. He helped the Vikings finish 13-3 by throwing for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns. He had seven interceptions and a career-high rating of 98.3.

Keenum’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 10 seconds left in a divisional playoff game helped them defeat New Orleans 29-24. It’ll be remembered as one of the greatest, most improbable touchdowns in playoff history.

After the Vikings signed Kirk Cousins, Keenum signed a two-year, $36 million contract with the Broncos.

“We love it in Denver,” he said. “It’s a great city. The people are incredible. The organization is first class from top to bottom. It’s a huge blessing to be here.

“Being from Texas and Houston, you kind of get warped into thinking that Texas is everything, and there’s nothing else outside of Texas, but we’ve found some great organizations, great people and some great places to live that aren’t in Texas.”

“I see him around the building,” Keenum said about Gary Kubiak, who coached him for two seasons (2012-13) with the Texans. “It’s more so in passing. He means so much to me. He and the Texans gave me my shot. I owe a lot to him, obviously, and it feels good to have him around.

“Hey, I have a Kubiak in my quarterback meeting room. Klint comes down and helps us out. It’s like I’ve got coach Kubiak on my shoulder. It’s just a different coach Kubiak.”

John McClain, a Waco native who graduated from Baylor in 1975, is in his 43rd year at the Houston Chronicle and his 40th covering the National Football League, including the Oilers and Texans. He worked for the Waco Tribune Herald from 1973-76, when he accepted a job with the Chronicle. to cover the original Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association.

McClain has a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as the 2006 winner of the Dick McCann Memorial Award presented annually by the Pro Football Writers of America to a writer for his long and distinguished coverage of the NFL. He is past president of the Pro Football Writers of America.

He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Committee and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

In 2015, he was named as a Gridiron Legend in Texas, becoming the third member of the media behind Dave Campbell and Mickey Herskowitz.

McClain can be heard six times a week on the Texans' flagship station Sports Radio 610 in Houston. He also does weekly sports talk shows in Nashville, Knoxville, Waco, Austin and San Antonio.

McClain also has appeared in eight movies: The Rookie, The Longest Yard, Spring Breakers, Secretariat, Invincible, Cook County, The Game Plan and Make It Rain.

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